Singer Sukhwinder Singh enthrals audience at Virasat

As action unfolded on Day 2 of Alva’s Virasat, a three-day national cultural festival underway at this Jain Kashi of the South, it was clear that Sukhwinder was here to Kar Har Maidaan Fateh and he did so with aplomb accompanied by his 21-member crew at Gana Taranga. With Radnyi Khadilkar playing able second vocal support, it was only time that Sukhwinder started unleashing his wide repertoire of songs at the cultural fest, now into its 25th edition and where he was making his maiden appearance. Sukhwinder started the proceedings with the high voltage number Kar Har Maidaan Fateh from the latest movie Sanju.

It was then time for Haule Haule Se from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Using the flanks of the sprawling cultural stage at the vedike to the fullest, Sukhwinder lost no time in establishing a personal rapport with the audience as he seamlessly moved into another high-octane number Aaja Dil Nichode Pyar Ki from Kaminey. And just as the crowd was warming up to the action, Sukhwinder was there with the number that made him a force to reckon with.

Explaining the essence of what Chal Chaiyya from Dil Se was all about, Sukhwinder said when he teamed up with Oscar winner A R Rahman, he had the task of explaining to the maestro what this essentially Punjabi poetry meant.

Noting that Virasat started out as a platform to promote classical music, Sukhwinder said, “It is important to remember our tradition.

Classical music is the parent that fosters us (artistes who thrive in filmy songs, Sufi and Indi pop). Past is always an experience to perform in the present,” he said. His songs ticked all the right boxes with the audience in excess of 50,000 as they listened to the singer in rapt attention.